Pick the Right Keywords to Improve SEO

Sep 10, 2014

picking the right keywords

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Keywords: The words that users type into the search box for their search query.

With this basic definitions of keywords, we learn the best way to optimize anything for SEO. We need to pick the right keywords, and, when we do, we improve SEO. Pretty simple, right?

So, how do we pick the right keywords to improve SEO? Well, it really involves three main criteria: relevance, volume and difficulty.

Pick the Right Keywords to Improve SEO: Relevance

Pick keywords related to your business. When thinking of your list of possible keywords, consider your prospects’ perspective. What would they search for? Take that list and come up with many different variations.

 

Pick the Right Keywords to Improve SEO: Volume

Improving your company's SEO

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Let’s say that you focus really hard on one specific keyword, and, sure enough! You’ve ranked #1 for that spot on Google. But…that doesn’t mean you’re getting all sorts of new traffic to your site unless people are actually searching for that keyword. Try not to pick entirely obscure keywords, because it won’t help your site traffic much in the long run.

 

Pick the Right Keywords to Improve SEO: Difficulty

Difficulty refers to how hard it is to rank for the keyword, based on the strength of the competition and how authoritative your own website seems to Google. To put it simply, SEO ranking on Google is a competition, with everyone vying for a spot on that first page of search results. There can only be 10 spots, and if you’ve suddenly appeared on page 1, that means someone else has disappeared.

Some keywords will be easy to rank for, but others will be harder, and you might become discouraged over ever reaching page 1. The trick is to balance these three criteria, relevance, volume and difficulty.

Start by picking relevant keywords for your business and then look into the estimated volume and competition there is for each of the keywords. If you’re just starting out, pick keywords with relatively little competition for ranking – otherwise, you won’t notice results at all. Show Google that you’re an authoritative source by driving traffic to your site, even if it is for rarely-searched keywords.

And, remember, go through this entire process with your prospects in mind. What will they search for?

Good luck!